Ask, Seek, Knock

Reading Matthew 5-7 in sections often leads to thinking of the various PARTS of the sermon as sound bites rather than seeing it within the context of the WHOLE. Jesus used language and rhetoric in a masterful way to lead his listeners into a fresh revelation of the nature and character of God the Father. The reality is, the Sermon on the Mount is less about how we are supposed to behave as Christians and FAR MORE about who God is!

This week we look at the passage about asking, seeking, and knocking. In this passage, Jesus is talking with a people who have been conditioned to see God as unapproachable by anyone who is not a priest following all the right rituals one time a year. He tells them, ". . . for everyone who asks receives, all who seek find, and to all who knock it will be opened." He is deconstructing the concept that we need a religious intermediary who will stand between us and Father God!

• Why is Jesus talking about prayer again? How is this different than before?

• What connections can we see between what Jesus already taught, and this passage?

• What does Jesus mean when he calls them "evil"?

• What does it mean to ASK? SEEK? KNOCK?

• Who is "everyone" in this passage?